Guy and Mabel Nelson discover an unknown part of Tengri Lethos' Eternity ship. As they explore it, they trigger a protection that miniaturizes them. They end up in a place called the Eternal City. They try to call Tengri Lethos for help but the Hathor doesn't respond.

Responding to a call from It, Kershyll Vanne arrives in the area of space called Porpoulo-Danger, where a dust coat several million kilometers big is preventing further detection. Vanne enters the dust coat and discovers a planet he names Lavallal. On the planet, he finds dead bodies and realizes that Tengri Lethos' Eternity spaceship is on the planet. Lavallal was just transfered from another universe and collided with the Eternity ship.

Vanne meets with Wastor, an android sent by It, who tells him about a mission that the humanity must undertake. The Terrans must put together a fleet and head toward a location that the android gives Vanne. There, they will find something called Pan-Thau-Ra that must be restored in its original role, or numerous galaxies will sink into chaos and millions of people will die.

The area around Lavallal becomes instable and Tengri Lethos is forced to abandon his ship. Vanne takes him on board his spaceship and they both leave Lavallal, which soon disappears, returning to where it came from. Lethos is injured during the escape but he is decided to recover his Eternity ship one day.